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Acknowledgment at the international competition highlights the success of the enhanced platform and its appeal as a powerful sports brand
Zug, Switzerland – Infront Sports & Media, the international sports marketing company, together with Designwerk, a leading international creative agency specialising in brand communication for the sports industry, have achieved industry recognition at the Hermes Creative Awards. Nominated with ‘Gold’ in the category ‘Company Branding‘, the collaboration was acknowledged for the successful re-branding of the Turkish Basketball Super League (BSL) launched in October 2014.
The Hermes Creative Awards is an international competition for creative professionals involved in the concept, writing and design of marketing and communication programs. It is administered and judged by the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals (AMCP).
All major properties build one strong coherent brand identity
As the exclusive global media and marketing partner of the Turkish BSL, Infront together with Designwerk developed in 2014 the new visual identity for the league. It brought all the major properties (including the Basketball Super League as well as the TBF All-Star Game) under one coherent identity while providing a versatile branding system.
Designed to embrace the dynamics of the sport and the ambiance of Turkish basketball, a core ambition of the new identity was to strengthen the league’s positioning as a premium European sports product, raise international awareness, and build stronger brand equity. Overall, the visual identity embodied an essence of growth – elevating the generic brand and its appeal. The result was a simpler, cleaner and more versatile brand that is more presentable and transmits the league’s essence more effectively.
Ender Uslu, Managing Director of Infront Turkey, commented: “Recognition by way of the Hermes Creative Awards is most gratifying as it puts a quality mark on our branding know-how and efforts with the BSL. The increased appeal of the league - thanks to both the new identity and the revised marketing concept - has helped to attract sponsors keen to align themselves with a strong sports brand. At the same time, we were able to extend the international broadcast coverage significantly, spreading the visibility of the BSL brand across Europe and beyond.“
Harun Erdenay, President of the TBF, said: “Infront’s drive to grow the BSL has seen significant success across the board – with the Hermes Creative Award being one of the most recent evidence. The impact and strength of the BSL is today being recognised internationally as one of the strongest leagues in the world with a strong value proposition in regard to its competitiveness, as well as great commercial appeal. The success of the league is a testament to the strength of Turkish Basketball. We look forward to further strengthening the impact of our league in the global sports landscape throughout the coming years.”
Driving popularity and commercial outreach
In addition to enhancing the identity of the BSL, which has increased popularity and appeal for both commercial partners and fans, Infront has worked extensively to grow the property on all ends. On the media rights side, the league is now broadcast internationally into 15 countries and in Turkey on free TV channel NTV Spor and pay TV broadcaster Digiturk. As a result, commercial appeal has grown with Infront sealing sponsorship agreements with nine partners, seven of which are top international brands. Furthermore, as a result of other innovations such as the development of a new BSL mobile app, fan engagement via social media has increased by over 400 per cent.
About Infront Sports & Media
Infront Sports & Media is the most respected sports marketing company in the world, managing a comprehensive portfolio of top properties. Led by President & CEO Philippe Blatter, Infront covers all aspects of successful sporting events – including distribution of media rights, sponsorship, media production and event operation – and has won a reputation for its high standards of delivery. As the number one player in winter sport and with a leading role in football, summer and endurance sports, Infront enjoys long-lasting partnerships with 170 rights-holders and hundreds of sponsors and media companies. Headquartered in Zug, Switzerland, Infront has a team of more than 900 experienced staff working from over 35 offices across more than 15 countries, delivering 4,100 event days of top class sport around the world every year. In November 2015, Infront was integrated into Wanda Sports Holding, part of the Chinese conglomerate the Dalian Wanda Group.
